An attempt to ‘de-list’ a Grade II-listed building at the centre of a planning row has been rebuffed by Historic England.

Hornash cottage in Hornash Lane, Shadoxhurst, was damaged by two fires in 2019 and its owner later sought permission from Ashford Borough Council to tear it down and replace it with a modern house.

The threat to the 18th century weather-boarded cottage - which is described in its listing as illustrating “the housing of working people of the period” - led villagers to start a petition against demolition which was signed by more than 2,100 people.

Zoe Relf, who started the petition on Change.org, wrote: “This lovely old, historical listed cottage should be protected for future generations as it is one of the few remaining oldest dwellings, with deep historical character in our village of Shadoxhurst.”

The application for demolition, however, referred to a conservation report from 2000 which suggested conservation would be impossible, a situation likely made worse by the fire damage in 2019.

To the delight of those who want to see the cottage stay standing, the applicant withdrew their proposal earlier this year.

Historic England (HE), which is responsible for the listing of important structures, has now confirmed it did receive a request to remove Hornash from its register but this was refused.

'This lovely old, historical listed cottage should be protected'

A spokesman for HE said: “An application was made to de-list the building, but after careful consideration Historic England recommended that it should remain listed at Grade II, due to its architectural and historical significance.

“The listing entry was updated to reflect changes that have happened since its initial listing in 1980, including damage caused by two fires in 2019, which resulted in the loss of some historic fabric, and to highlight where the special interest of the building still lies.”